This year’s FA Cup third round may not have been littered with surprises, but that only raises the stakes for the next flurry of encounters.
Liverpool and Chelsea each brushed aside their Second Division opponents, while Manchester City scored eight unanswered goals at home to Salford City. After a nervy, goalless first 90 minutes, Tottenham Hotspur finally prevailed with three goals in extra time against non-league Tamworth.
However, first division club Brentford lost to championship runners-up Plymouth Argyle, who played Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round.
Arsenal and Manchester United fought the glamorous third-round clash, with the Red Devils prevailing on penalties despite playing with 10 players for more than an hour to set up a draw against Leicester City next month.
Here’s everything you need to know about a fourth round that might be a little more explosive.
Fans of England’s oldest cup competition will have to wait until February for the next edition. The 16 games of the fourth round are expected to take place over the weekend Saturday, February 8th.
As in the third round, the matches could easily be scheduled from Thursday to Monday. As the concept of replays has been relegated to the realm of away goals and the back pass rule, all matches will be completed on the day they begin.
VAR cannot win. With the controversial refereeing system in place, hours upon hours will be wasted debating the merits of the decisions made by the people of Stockley Park. In the event that the technology is not used – as was the case in the third round of the cup – the lack of it will be criticized by those responsible.
However, the FA Cup referees cannot rely on the support of VAR in the fourth round. It seems to be a completely arbitrary decision that video support will only be used in the fifth round of the cup.